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Probing surface recombination velocities in semiconductors using two-photon microscopy

The determination of minority-carrier lifetimes and surface recombination velocities is essential for the development of semiconductor technologies such as solar cells. The recent development of two-photon time-resolved microscopy allows for better measurements of bulk and subsurface interfaces properties. Here we analyze the diffusion problem related to this optical technique. Our three-dimensional treatment enables us to separate lifetime (recombination) from transport effects (diffusion) in the photoluminescence intensity. It also allows us to consider surface recombination occurring at a variety of geometries: a single plane (representing an isolated exposed or buried interface), two parallel planes (representing two inequivalent interfaces), and a spherical surface (representing the enclosing surface of a grain boundary). We provide fully analytical results and scalings directly amenable to data fitting, and apply those to experimental data collected on heteroepitaxial CdTe/ZnTe/Si.